THE British Prime Minister was taken aback when confronted by questions on Scottish independence 2500 miles from home in Astana, where he is on a trade mission.

David Cameron addresses students at the Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan (Photo: Leon Neal/PA Wire)

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IT may be 2500 miles from Edinburgh but the top issue for students of politics in Kazakhstan is ... Scottish independence.

David Cameron was taken aback yesterday to be quizzed on the pros and cons of separation in the first question he took from students at Nazarbayev University in the capital, Astana.

Cameron staged the session during a trade mission to the central Asian republic.

The questions were supposed to be vetted beforehand and he was surprised when he was asked for his opinion on the referendum issue.

A student called Agrem, who spent four years as a student in Scotland, wanted to know what the Prime Minister of Britain thought of independence.

A bemused Cameron replied: “Very good. It may well seem a long, long way here in Kazakhstan but it is a very important question in the United Kingdom.”

He quickly found his stride with a standard reply about Scotland and England being “stronger, more prosperous, safer and better off together”.

And he added: “I hope when you come back to Scotland, it is still part of the UK.”

Cameron handled the exchange with ease but some of the UK Government entourage were mildly exasperated. One official said: “You go halfway around the world and what’s the first thing they want to know about – Alex Salmond.”